Man seeks $400k refund after couple breaks up

Man seeks $400k refund after couple breaks up

Widower Chan Kok Sang is seeking a refund for gifts he bought
his girlfriend during their three year courtship.

The couple was in a relationship from 2007 to last year. During
this time, Mr Chan bought gifts for Ms Caroline Tong, a real estate
agent, amounting to about $400,000 as he believed they were to get
married.

The gifts included swatches, bags, branded accessories and about
$90,000 worth of jewellery.

The couple also reportedly got involved in joint investment
ventures including a $1.24 million condominium unit in Keppel
Bay.

Mr Chan, who is in his sixties, claims he also gave Ms Tong, who is
also a professional singer according to her Facebook page, $79,000
to help launch two VCDs of her songs in Hokkien and Mandarin.

The Straits Times reported that Mr Chan considers the gifts as
friendly loans which have to be repaid.

Ms Tong, who is in her forties, disputes this and says the gifts
were unconditional presents given during their relationship.

Mr Chan says Ms Tong had breached the promise to marry him even
though custom-made wedding rings were ordered as she had allegedly
asked for.

As her Facebook page indicates, Ms Tong graduated with a master's
in international business from the University of Technology in
Sydney.